Academic writing, scholarly identity, voice and the benefits and challenges of multilingualism: Reflections from Norwegian doctoral researchers in teacher education

Abstract

Doctoral researchers increasingly write in English where English is a non-ambient language, for example, in Norway. Yet, similar to other contexts, a goal of the Norwegian doctoral degree is that doctoral graduates are able to communicate their research in both national and international contexts, which usually means English. Through narrative analysis of 17 responses from doctoral researchers to a prompt asking about their journeys into academic writing, this article explores perceptions of how multilingualism and academic writing intersect with the emerging identities and voices of doctoral researchers as researchers. In these written narratives, doctoral researchers reflected upon previous experience and academia; audience and choice of language; voice, academic writing, and the perception of linguistic deficit; and academic writing conventions and language. While much previous research has focused on the negative aspects of multilingual and professional identities as academic writers, our narratives reveal how some doctoral researchers use their experiences to create productive strategies and resources. One key finding is that doctoral researchers create virtual transnational communities through their multilingual academic writing, both in terms of academic publishing and social media platforms.